Craniomandibular Osteopathy

General information on Craniomandibular Osteopathy

Craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO), more commonly known as swollen jaw, is a condition in which there is excess deposits of bone on the jaw. This excess bone is most commonly found on the underside of the jaw, but can be found on other parts of the jaw and skull as well. The excess bone is the swollen jaw and is extremely painful and may cause the affected dog difficulty in opening and shutting its mouth should the jaw joints be affected by the condition. The direct cause of swollen jaw is unknown, but it is thought to be hereditary. In most instances of swollen jaw, the condition can first be seen between the ages of three to ten months of age. Breeds of terriers are most commonly affected by swollen jaw.

Symptoms of Craniomandibular Osteopathy

Some of the symptoms of swollen jaw may be: a swollen jaw, a painful jaw, fever, excessive drooling, loss of appetite, signs of difficulty eating, and extreme pain when the jaw is opened.

Treatments for Craniomandibular Osteopathy

In many cases of Craniomandibular Osteopathy, no treatment is necessary. Overall, the condition typically becomes stable around one year of age deterioration of the excess bone deposits is seen. Completely deterioration of the excess bone is, however, very uncommon, but most of the dogs affected by swollen jaw are able to maintain their weight. A veterinarian is likely to prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications for the dog to help reduce the pain. If there is a sever loss of appetite and the dog will not eat, tube feeding may be required.

Craniomandibular Osteopathy - personal experiences

My Cairn terrier puppy has been diagnosed with craniomandibular osteopathy ( lion jaw/ swollen jaw) today after having problems with him since we got him at 10 weeks old, he is now 6 months! He showed signs of fever, neck pain and was treated with antibiotics and anti inflamortories but everytime he came off them he was ill again within a week so the vet felt he had meningitis and was certain that he needed a spinal tap to determin if he needed steroids. I watched my puppy in extreme pain on one side of his jaw on a couple of occasions and noticed him having difficulties chewing in the end so took him to a new vet who immediately diagnosed him and took X-rays to confirm which showed on his left side of jaw he had a a thickening and would be giving him alot of pain and the reason for his fever. I've looked up on the net tonight about it and feel very disappointed that it took so long to diagnose. --------View all personal experiences on Craniomandibular Osteopathy
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